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Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool |OT| A Moon Shaped Poo

I know it has only been a day, but I am still in awe that I finally have a studio version of True Love Waits after more than 20 years of waiting. Is the long wait for it making the song that much more powerful to me? Most likely. But fuck, what a way to close out the album.
 
People don't like Electioneering? Holy shit.

I never understood why people disliked that song. I've seen hate for it more than even the true worst song on an album.....
Pull pork/revolving doors.....I'm sorry it's probably the ONLY Radiohead (Pablo stuff excluded) song I actively dislike and I LOVE Amnesiac

Anyway, in Present Tense when Thom sings "As my world comes crashing down, I'll be dancing" holy shit, it's so fucking good. Like a bit of heartbreaking optimism.
 

Deeku

Member
I think some people have mentioned this already: I don't think this album flows very well. It's a strong album with amazing individual tracks, but it's not a cohesive chunk of music like their past albums. Radiohead have always really obsessed over track order and how an album should be listened to from beginning to end, but I'm just not feeling it here. Maybe it has something to do with the alphabetical track order? Really interested in hearing about how they got to that.
 

Odrion

Banned
I know people consider Radiohead to be rather depressing but this sounds like true depression. Covers over head, can't get out of bed, barely can muster the strength to speak. Something like OK Computer sounds very "grand" in it's sadness, this album feels very... gaunt? Threadbare?
 
I know people consider Radiohead to be rather depressing but this sounds like true depression. Covers over head, can't get out of bed, barely can muster the strength to speak.
You want depression? Go listen to Joy Division. Pure, beautiful distilled bleakness and oblivion. Unknown Pleasures is just fucking incredible.
 
I think some people have mentioned this already: I don't think this album flows very well. It's a strong album with amazing individual tracks, but it's not a cohesive chunk of music like their past albums. Radiohead have always really obsessed over track order and how an album should be listened to from beginning to end, but I'm just not feeling it here. Maybe it has something to do with the alphabetical track order? Really interested in hearing about how they got to that.

I actually find this album super cohesive, my first listen was slightly dulled because of that even (Really love it now).
 

Maddrical

Member
Not gonna lie, the leadup I was super hyped but still a bit concerned as I LOVE the FTB version of TKOL but not the studio version. But this album.... wow. I haven't been obsessed with an album like this in a long time, maybe since Fear of a Blank Planet. It's fantastic. True Love Waits is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard, just thinking about it as I type I'm getting chills. Cannot wait to listen to this album a thousand plus times.

EDIT: Agree about the cohesiveness, I think BTW is the only track that seems a little bit out of place. It's a great opener, but I can't help but wonder what the album would be like opening with something as somber as Daydreaming.
 

Esiquio

Member
I haven't listened to every Radiohead song they've ever released (I'm going through Spotify today and almost done), but I listened to In Rainbows in its entirety hundreds of times, and I think it's one of the best albums I've ever heard. In particular, 15 Step, and particularly that transition in the beginning, which blew my mind the first time I heard it, made quite an impression. Reckoner is one of the best songs I've ever heard, as well.

The King of Limbs I purchased day one digitally, and was disappointed, it definitely wasn't as good as In Rainbows, though it did have some great standout tracks, like Lotus Flower.

I just purchased the 24-bit WAV version of this album blind, having only heard Burn the Witch (pretty good), and Daydreaming (it's okay), based on the positive reviews here. I have Sennheiser HD598's and I'm listening on my computer. My question is: what program plays back 24-bit WAV the best? I did some searching and I came up with some mixed and garbage results. I'm currently using Adobe Audition CC 2015 since I thought that it might be the best to handle a high-quality format...thoughts, GAF?

Fake edit: I just listened to Decks Dark and Desert Island Disk, neither caught my interest. That said, I have definitely found that Radiohead albums can be like that, where it takes repeat listens to really sink in.
 
D

Deleted member 30609

Unconfirmed Member
Just wanted to stop by and say two things:

1. this album is great!

2. people don't like Electioneering? what the fuck
It's the canonical song that members of Radiohead allegedly don't like themselves... It gets a lot of flack.
 
It's the canonical song t9hat members of Radiohead allegedly don't like themselves... It gets a lot of flack.

That's news to me, I guess - I've always loved its placement after Let Down, Karma Police, and Fitter Happier. Picks the pace up a bit.
 

Stencil

Member
Wth I didn't know about the Electioneering backlash. It's a good song, but in the grand scheme of Radiohead songs it's definitely in the back-half, I guess.

Anyway, I've listened to this album on repeat since it's release. It's definitely more of a grower than a shower. The first time I listened not much stuck but since repeat listens there are only a few songs that I'm not practically blown away by.
 

dmshaposv

Member
Electioneering is a solid song on a fucking legendary album.

Every song on OKC works with the album's tone, this one just sticks out like a sore thumb.

Again, its a good song, but it doesnt belong in the structure of the album.
 

jambo

Member
After listening to AMSP for about the 10th time I decided to go back and give TKOL and the 2011 singles another run through.

Much better than I remember.

Also Spectre is stunning.
 

okno

Member
About to buy this album and dig in, finally.

Blows my mind that people could possibly hate Electioneering or Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors. Love both songs, and always have, but I don't understand the Electioneering hate more than the PPRD hate.
 

Screaming Meat

Unconfirmed Member
Electioneering is a solid song on a fucking legendary album.

Every song on OKC works with the album's tone, this one just sticks out like a sore thumb.

Again, its a good song, but it doesnt belong in the structure of the album.

Disagree. The weak link on OKC for me is Karma Police. It's not a bad song and I like it live, it just doesn't sit right on the album for me.
 
Meh, I usually skip Paranoid Android when I'm listening to OKC. Too long and I really wanna get into Subtterenean Homesick Alien already.
 
Homesick Alien used to be my least favorite on OKC when I first listened to it, but throughout the years I've warmed up to it more and more to the point where it's one of my favorite Radiohead songs of all time now. Just an unbelievably well written song to me.
 

cabot

Member
I wouldn't say this album is depressing, moreso than some others in the back catalog. I think it maintains a bit of the warmness In Rainbows had, probably due to the heavy use of strings and orchestration.

I will say there's quite a bit of trauma running through this album (at its most transparent in Daydreaming, but also prominent among TLW and Glass Eyes especially).

It will be interesting to see how they play it on the tour. Could it be related to the tour being so restrained this year? A reluctance to really play this material full on for a year.


All I know is that there are some gut punches.
 
Pablo Honey get so much shit. I like "Stop Whispering" and it's one of my favorite Radiohead songs I think.

Anyway, so far I'm not a big fan of this album because it feels too minimalistic to me like almost everything since Kid A. But I'm glad almost all of you seem to feel differently.
 
I know people consider Radiohead to be rather depressing but this sounds like true depression. Covers over head, can't get out of bed, barely can muster the strength to speak. Something like OK Computer sounds very "grand" in it's sadness, this album feels very... gaunt? Threadbare?

Yeah, good way to put it.

Also, I said that in the other thread that I wasn't a fan of daydreaming, but after a few listens I did indeed come back around on it (as I predicted), fucking beautiful song.


Pablo Honey get so much shit. I like "Stop Whispering" and it's one of my favorite Radiohead songs I think.

Anyway, so far I'm not a big fan of this album because it feels too minimalistic to me like almost everything since Kid A. But I'm glad almost all of you seem to feel differently.


Yeah, I hear what you're saying. The 'grandness' mentioned by the poster above does make OK Computer's beauty more accessible, or maybe it really is more beautiful - period ? Hard to say obviously, but yeah, I'm finding it harder to like a minimalist album like this. However, I'm hoping that my newfound appreciation for daydreaming will also happen for the rest of the album, even though it doesn't seem as outrightly beautiful as something like OKC.
 

Zombine

Banned
True Love Waits is absolutely haunting. What a wonderful album that just flows all the way to the very end. It's a quick and really fun listen, and it's genuinely best listened to with headphones or with a really good sound system alone.
 

Myriadis

Member
I'm wondering if the relatively short tour means they'll be touring with a full orchestra.

That would be amazing, though I wonder if they would be able to do it on lollapalooza in Berlin cause I can imagine that they don't have much time setting it up. Btw, I was never at a big festival before, how much time does an act get on average?
 

denx

Member
Electioneering is not a bad song, but I really wish they would had put Palo Alto instead of it. I feel the Fitter Happier --> Palo Alto --> CUTW transition makes more sense than FH --> Electioneering --> CUTW.
 

Screaming Meat

Unconfirmed Member
I just realised what the weirdest thing about this album is: other people's voices. Y'know, the choral stuff on Decks Dark and Identikit etc. Other than one Bends era B-Side, I can't think of any other examples of that happening in a Radiohead song.

Electioneering is a good song, but it's the one time that OKC stops short of absolute perfection.

Yeah, I listened to it back then, but now I just skip it.

You sicken me. Radiohead skronk is best skronk.

;)

Electioneering is not a bad song, but I really wish they would had put Palo Alto instead of it. I feel the Fitter Happier --> Palo Alto --> CUTW transition makes more sense than FH --> Electioneering --> CUTW.

I think it's an awesome transition. From out of the medicated fug of Fitter Happier, into the apoplectic skronk of Electioneering, out into the creeping horror of CUTW. Works really well for me.
 
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